S Raman, former chairman of Canara Bank. (Image source: Linkedin)
Remember the witch hunt against public-sector bankers some years ago? A noble soul that was caught in the crossfire — despite being a leader of unimpeachable integrity — was S Raman, former chairman of Canara Bank and former whole-time member of SEBI. Policymakers need to learn lessons from such “collateral damage”. If the rule of law in our country has to be upheld, the cardinal principle of natural justice that “even if a thousand guilty go scot-free, even one innocent must not get punished” must apply.
But this article about Raman sir’s recently-published memoirs, From A Car Shed To The Corner Room & Beyond, is not about lessons that policymakers need to learn. I have known him since we worked together in the P J Nayak committee a decade ago and this article is a reflection of what professionals — especially youngsters in the early stages of their careers or even students — can learn. In many ways, I find myself to be very similar to Raman sir in temperament, and in our spiritual yearnings as well as humble backgrounds. I recommend his memoir.
Reading the book, one is reminded that a true leader displays personal virtues that inspire many others. As a leader is only as good as the quality of the team she puts together, empowering them and having complete trust in their abilities holds the key. The team then responds positively to the faith reposed in them. In a team-building exercise during one of his most successful stints at a bank branch, each team member had to fall, trusting that others would catch him. All the others were not sure that their colleagues would indeed have their backs. Yet, Raman sir, with a fractured hand, falls bindaas. And his team members indeed had his back.
Such small gestures go a long way in building a culture of trust and capability. No wonder, the branch delivered record numbers during Raman’s leadership.
As a sports lover, Raman sir played a small role in India’s chess revolution. Viswanathan Anand — even before he became the junior chess champion — had to travel abroad for a competition. Given the stringent forex rules in the 1980s, his manager came desperately to Raman sir’s bank to get some forex traveller’s cheques on a Saturday. The bank official dealing with the transaction, who sat next to Raman sir, flatly refused, saying forex travelers’ cheques cannot be issued on a Saturday. But Raman sir told his colleague, “Please issue the traveller’s cheques… I will bear any cost due to adverse forex movement between today and Monday.” Without those travellers’ cheques, Anand would not, perhaps, have travelled to the chess championship. Who knows what his path — and as a result, India’s chess journey — would have been without that intervention. Such anecdotes inspire us to learn to place bigger causes above our own self.
The book is replete with many wonderful stories that reveal the character and personality of an excellent human being and leader. His love for music, Bollywood movies, cricket and other sports shines through.
A key aspect that I will emphasise is imbibing the quality of sthitapragya, in line with Shri Krishna’s advice to Arjuna in the Bhagwad Gita. “Pragya” means wisdom in Sanskrit and “sthitapragya” means someone residing in wisdom. In Chapter 2, Shloka 56, Shri Krishna expatiates sthitapragya as one who does not lose equanimity, in misery or pleasure. That there are individuals who embody such Vedantic principles in their lives is a reminder of the tremendous wealth in our scriptures. Reading Raman’s memoir is an exhortation to drink at least a few drops from this ocean of wisdom.
From the many insights in the book, the biggest takeaway for me is that honest, good people can be winners. In today’s world, we are all told to be over-smart (self-centred?), and focus on “me, myself and I” to get ahead. We can also see around us the scores of people who believe in this credo and act accordingly. In stark contrast, Raman sir’s memoir is filled with anecdotes that illustrate how he placed the institution he served, his team members, or his leader above himself. His memoir reminded me of Rahul Dravid as a cricketer — always willing to make a sacrifice in the national interest. That a kind-hearted person, a leader who led by the force of his humane qualities and personal values, rose to the pinnacle is something we must all celebrate.
The writer, a former chief economic adviser, is executive director at the International Monetary Fund
